I didn’t do a lot of posting to my blog in 2016, so I thought I’d do a 2016 wrap-up post to point you to the writing and other work I published in other places.

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I met a good friend this morning for coffee/tea (I’m a tea person or, some might say, I tea fanatic). I mentioned that 2016 was a year where I felt that I hadn’t done a lot of writing, even though I knew that I probably had, because I hadn’t done much blogging. I decided that, rather than focus on what I hadn’t done, I should give myself credit for what I had accomplished. I suggest that you consider doing the same.

What surprised me was how much it all added up to, even though it’s scattered all over the place. There’s a lot that I think is especially good, so let me point you to it.

Gwynne Monahan and I recently co-authored an article on the probable impact of blockchain technology on the legal profession that will be published in January. It’s a unique perspective and I’m looking forward to seeing the reaction to it.

As I checked into what I had written, I also noticed a few things that I wrote in connection with presentations that I hadn’t gotten around to publishing. For example, there’s a substantial FAQ on LinkedIn profiles that Allison and I prepared for a webinar that we need to get published as an article.

Oh, and Tom Mighell and I busily at work on a new edition of our collaboration tools and technologies book.

Podcasts

Tom Mighell and I are inching closer to the 200th episode landmark of The Kennedy-Mighell Report podcast on the Legal Talk Network. I consider the podcast as my primary creative outlet on legal technology topics these days. It certainly has my best ideas, insights and analysis, all made better by the interaction with Tom and Tom’s great perspectives. I understand that this episode was the most popular in 2016, but I will remember this year as being the one where Tom and I tried to cover the newest technologies – AI, bots, blockchain, internet of things, machine learning, Slack and more. New episodes every other week.

In other years, I’ve had the opportunity to be interviewed on other podcasts. 2016 was not a year when I had the chance to do that. I’d like to do some more of that in 2017.

Webinars

I got the chance to do a few webinars in 2016. The good news is that they are available for replay.

In October, wAllison Shields and I presented “Power Up Your LinkedIn Profile” for the ABA’s Legal Career Center The video replay is still available here for replay and it’s free. There’s also an extensive set of answers to questions we got during the presentation but didn’t have time to answer on the broadcast.

I also created a new general audience presentation this year called “Looking for Evidence in New Tech Places,” which focuses on what lawyers and other legal professionals need to know about new technologies and what evidence might arise in connection with new technologies. Even more important, it suggests what clients should expect from their lawyers. You might have seen the recent story about police trying to get ambient recordings from an Amazon Echo in a murder case – that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Info on that webinar can be found here.

I also sat in on some Legal Talk Network live recordings to interview guests at TECHSHOW.

I also got to share a lot of my best job hunting and career tips on a videocast with Franklin Graves as part of a series on “How I Graduated from Law School with a Job” that’s available on YouTube here. I really enjoyed doing that one.

Public Speaking

I took a breather from public (as opposed to private) speaking in 2016 as I explain in the next section. I recently spoke to a group at work and realized how much I’m missing doing regular public speaking. Consider me available in 2017.

Teaching

In fairness, a lot of my speaking time and energy went into a class on IP licensing and drafting I taught at Washington University Law School in the spring semester. I really enjoyed that. I had a great group of students, but it’s a ton of work. And it was the equivalent of about 3 hours of public speaking a week – probably the reason I took a break on other public speaking. I’m taking a break from teaching the class in 2017.

LTRC

I’m currently the chair of the board for the ABA’s Legal Technology Resource Center. We’re busily at work creating even more great content for that site as we work on trying to make it the premier resource on technology for the legal profession. Watch that space.

WRAPPING IT UP

Hey, that was a great exercise. I now feel like I had a very productive 2016. People used to refer to me as being a “prolific” author. I’m definitely not creating at the same pace that I once did, and I definitely prefer to work with one of my awesome writing partners when I do write for publication. That makes things easier and definitely improves the quality.

I was listening to a podcast recently where the discussion focused on how some people seem to be able to create a lot of great content. The word “prolific” might have even been used. One of the people on the podcast said that it all came down to time management – that people who create a lot of content are really good at time management, because it’s definitely not the case that they just have lots of spare time.

A light went on for me.

One of the last things that I consider myself really good at is time management, especially in what was an extraordinarily busy year for me. But the fact is that I must be.

So, this exercise had three great results.

It helped me celebrate what I had accomplished rather than to dwell on what I perceived that I hadn’t accomplished.

It helped me realized that I had under-appreciated time management skills.

It produced a blog post that points you to a lot of great content that I sincerely hope that you will find useful.

There have been some very good episodes lately, on some great topics, and I wanted to highlight them. It’s also a good time to remind you that you can subscribe to the podcast in iTunes and receive new episodes automatically.

You don’t have to be a lawyer to listen to these podcasts. Tom and I try to cover a lot of ground that is not specific to lawyers. Episode #73 is just one good example.

I also wanted to note that the show notes site for the podcast at TKMReport.com is back to life and will give you descriptions, resources mentioned in the episodes and more.

RECENT EPISODES (#69 – #75)

#75. Search Plus Your Legal World

Google’s new “Search Plus Your World” represents a new direction in Internet search where social elements become part of our search results. Bringing our social media world into search results indicates both the growing importance of social media and the need to find new ways to get relevant results. Can we make use of what our friends and connections find on the web to get us better search results? In this episode, Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell take a look at Search Plus Your World, whether bringing social into search might help us, and whether this approach might work for you. Podcast here

#74. Ultrabook Benefits for Attorneys

The big story at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show was “ultrabooks.” This new category of computer stole the thunder, at least for a few days, from tablet computers. Should lawyers be considering ultrabooks in 2012? In this episode, Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell take a look at the new world of ultrabooks, whether tablet computers like the iPad are taking over the computer market, and what it all means for traditional notebook computers and desktop PCs. Podcast here

#73. Making Collaboration Tools Work in 2012

People are collaborating more than ever before. There are more collaboration tools and technologies than ever before. Yet, the actual adoption of collaboration tools seems to lag behind the wish to use collaboration tools. In this episode, Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell discuss the gap between tools and people in collaboration, the common challenges faced when implementing collaboration tools, especially ones used by lawyers, and their best recommendations for improving the adoption of collaboration tools and technologies in 2012. Podcast here

#72. Pardon the Legal Technology Interruption 2011

What kind of year was 2011 for legal tech? What were the big developments and trends that you need to know? In this episode, Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell pay tribute to ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption” and adopt its format for a fast-paced and fun discussion of what transpired in legal technology in 2011. Podcast here

#71. Who Moved My Social Media Cheese?

Many social media users have been surprised recently by changes to the design and user interface of the web pages and apps they have been accustomed to using with these services. These changes have been happening for quite a while, but this round of revision seems to have created a backlash from longtime users. Are these kinds of changes fair or foul? In this episode, Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell discuss recent interface modifications by Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and others, the response to these changes and the rollout of the changes, and the implications for users as rely more and more on cloud services. Podcast here

#70. 2012 Technology Gift Guide

‘Tis the season for gift-giving. And the season for technology gift lists. The latest technology is always a great present – especially for lawyers. In this episode, Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell roll out their own technology gift guide for lawyers, give some of their favorite buying tips, and give you plenty of suggestions for your own wish list! Podcast here

#69. Will Video Kill the Lawyer Star?

Forty-eight hours of video is added to YouTube every minute. Second graders make professional-quality movies using inexpensive cameras and standard software. It’s no surprise that lawyers are tentatively beginning to think about using video in connection with their practices. In this episode, Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell discuss the growing use of video by lawyers, survey the tools for creating and distributing videos, and share some observations and tips about lawyers jumping into the world of video. Podcast here

If you haven’t listened to the podcast before or haven’t listened for a while, give one or more of these a listen and then subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Dennis Kennedy

DennisKennedy.Blog was launched on February 15, 2003.

Dennis Kennedy is one of the few technology lawyers who is also an expert on the underlying technologies. Dennis an award-winning leader in the application of technology and the Internet to the practice of law.

This site gives you access to a wide variety of Dennis Kennedy's writings and information about how you can have Dennis speak to your organization or group.

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Dennis Kennedy is one of the most knowledgeable legal technologists you will find. - Michael Arkfeld.

Dennis Kennedy, a lawyer and legal technology expert in St. Louis, Mo., has been a significant influence in the ever-evolving relationship between lawyers and the Web. - Robert Ambrogi